Free-standing support structure



United States Patent Edward A. Seiz.

[72] Inventor I 136 E. Third St., Lansdale. Pa. 19446 121] Appl. No.- 674,952

[22] Filed [4'5] Patented Oct. 12, 1967 Dec. 29, 1970 521 u.s.c1 211/176,

21 1/177; 108/108: 248/47.248/246 511 1111.0 A47f5/10 1501 FieldofSearch..... 108/108,

l09;211/148A, 148,176,177;312/108, 140.1, 111 last U.S. & Fort, 257 last US; 248/47, 246, 244 last U.S. 245 last U.S. 243 last US.

3,212,648 lO/1965 Baker 108/108X 3,241,685 3/1966 Shilc 211/148X 3,251,478 5/1966 Frazier... 211/176.

831,389 9/1906 Steeg 248/246X 1,445,625 2/1923 Junkunc. 248/47UX 3,186,668 6/1965 Story 248/158 Primary Examiner Roy D. Fraizer Assistant Examiner-Abraham Frankel Attorney-Howson and Howson ABSTRACT: A freestanding support structure including at least two main frame members, each having an upright, sup port means to store various static load materials thereon, and an elongated base to support the upright. The base has a receptacle intermediate its ends to receive one end of the upright and feet at its opposite ends to support the base sufficiently above the floor level to permit it to be deflected downwardly in the area of the receptacle when the upright is loaded, causing compression forces in the receptacle to clamp the upright and rigidly fix it in its upright position. The several main frame members are aligned and interconnected in spaced parallel relation by horizontal beams spanning between the uprights along with tension members or sway rods spanning obliquely between the uprights in crossed relationship.

PATENTED M029 I976 sum 1 or 2 -.FIG.5.

INVENTOR' EDWARD A. SEIZ ATTYS FREE-STANDING SUPPORT STRUCTURE devices foruse inwarehouses, stockrooms, and the like-to store various static load materials thereon, and which have two or more uprights connected in a line, anda series of arms projecting substantially horizontally from the upright.

In structures of this type, the uprights must be supported on bases which project forwardly and rearwardly from the aligned uprights a sufficient distance to prevent tipping of the upright, particularly during the loading and unloading operations when the structure is likely to be knocked horizontally by the loading mechanism. In use, loads are stored either directly on the arms, or on shelving supported on the arms. To facilitate shipment and storage prior to erection, the uprights, bases, and arms are releasably interconnected by bolts or other fasteners. This knockdown arrangement also permits To provide the desiredrigidity, some manufacturers of support structures use welded connections between the bases and the uprights before shipping them to the consumers. Besides losing the advantages of compactness for storage in shipment and ease of relocation, the welded connections may be overstressed in handling, resulting in premature failure. Other support structures are shipped knocked down, but are welded together when erected. For proper installation, this requires the use of a skilled welder, since improper welds may permit the base to partly or completely break awayfrom the upright, causing the structure to fail.

The conventional knockdown structure uses bolts or other fasteners to effect the connection between the various members of the structure. Since such fasteners'must accept the bulk of the load, and such fasteners require manufacturing clearances, the bolts or pins cannot rigidly connect the base and body together, and after a period of use, they loosen further to allow undesired relative movement between the parts. If means are provided to tighten the fasteners sufficiently to eliminate any clearance or play in the assembly,'the fasteners are frequently overtightened, damaging either'the fastener or the structure. If tightened properly,' after prolonged periods of use, the fasteners freeze and it is virtually impossible to release the fasteners when it is desired to knock down the structure for storage or relocation.

ln structures of this type, occasionally the structure mem-' An additional object of the present invention is to provide a novel freestanding support structure which has means to hold the support units in alignment with each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel freestanding support structure comprising at least two main frame members each having an upright with means to store static load materials thereon, and an elongated base having a supporting leg at each end and a receptacle intermediate the ends in which one end of the upright is seated, whereby the load on the upright causes the base'to deflect as a'simple deflection beam and creates compression forces adjacentthe bers are damaged in transit to the consumer. Frequently, the

damage comprises only a slight twisting or bending of the members which causes the structure, when put together, to be out of alignment. Many manufacturers of structures have increased the weight of the individual parts to make them resistant to such damage in transit thereby increasing the cost of the structure and the cost of shipping it to the consumer.

With the foregoing in mind, a principle object of the present invention is to provide a novel freestanding support structure which may be easily packaged and shipped to the consumer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel freestanding support structure in which the base and the body can be shipped separately to the consumer and yet which is easily connected together by him to form arigid structure which will not sway or topple.

Still another object of the present inventionis to provide a novel lightweight freestare which may be knocked down and erected anew to facilitate handling and storage of static loads of various sizes and shapes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel freestanding support structure which is highly economical to manufacture and assemble, yet which is fully effective in operation and use.

receptacle to force the sidewalls of the receptacle against the sides of the upright at the one end to thereby rigidly clamp the' upright in the base. The frame members are braced by means of vertically spaced bars which extend horizontally between the uprights and which are fastened thereto by bolts engaging in the uprights and extending through mounting plates on the ends of the bars. The uprights are further braced by tension members which extend between. the bars and the uprights in crossed relation and which are adjustably fastened at their ends to angulated brackets bolted to the plates. Loads are supported on the uprights by means of removable arms extending laterally therefrom in cantilever fashion at spacedvertical intervals, each arm having a U-shaped shoe on its inner end which embraces its associated upright and which is secured thereto by means of a pinned connection. The pinned connection is formed by a cylindrical pin passing through the upright transversely to the arm and engaging in upwardly and outwardly inclined slots in the shoe so that each arm is securely connected to the upright upon downward displacement thereof.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary end elevational view with a portion broken away of a freestanding support structure embodying the present invention; e I

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 4 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the upright and bore of the structure in FIG; 1; I

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a supporting arm of the structure shown in FlGS.'1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG.,2 with portions broken away to show the mounting of the supporting arm;

FIG. 7 is a reduced end elevational view assembly of the structure shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view with portionsbroken away of the apparatus asshown in FIG. 8; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged sectional views taken along the lines 10-10 and 11-11 respectively,of FIG. 9. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the freestanding support structure comprises at least two, in the present case, four main frame members 21 each having a base 22, a receptacle 23 in the base 22, an upright 24 with one end fitted into the receptacle 23, and retaining means 28 (see FIG. 1') to secure the end in the receptacle 23. Bracing means interconnect the frame members 21 to hold them in parallel spaced-apart aligned relation, and adjustable arms 32 project horizontally outward from the uprights 24 to hold static loads of material for storage.

showing a complete More specifically, as shown in FIGS. '1 2, 3, and 9, each upright 24 comprises a hollow rectangular column having two opposed web plates 33 whose sides terminate in inwardly By this construction, the side plates 37 comprise the primary loadcarrying members, and the web plates 33 may be of smaller gage than the side plates. In this case, each web plate 33 has a series of apertures 44 equally spaced along its length 1' immediately adjacent the flanges 34 alternating with the ribs 138. The apertures are in registry with one another to adjustably mount the bracing means and the arms 32 on the column as set forth more fully hereinafter.

,In accordancewith one feature of the invention, the column 24. is supported in its upright position by engaging in the receptacle 23 of the base 22. To this end, the base is in the form of a box beam having upper and lower plates 46 and 47 and upstanding wall plates 48 welded to the top and bottom plates adjacent their outer edges. To form the receptacle 23, the top plates 46 and the wall plates 48 are interrupted or cut away approximately centrally of the base 22 and the vertical bearing walls 52 are mounted on the base 22 to span between said upper and lower plates and form the walls of the receptacle 23. In this fashion, the bearing walls 52 and the base or bottom plate 47 define a three-sided receptacle 23 for receiving the lower end of the upright column 24.

At the opposite ends of the base 22, support legs 53 are provided on the underside of the bottom plate 47 to support the beam forming the base 22 at a slight elevation above the floor level. In the present instance, the support legs 53 comprise simple blocks, but it is understood that in some installations, the legs may comprise adjustable support pads where the supporting floor is uneven or of irregular contour. In any event, the supporting feet 53 elevate the beam forming the base 22 at a sufficient distance above the floor level to permit a limited amount of downward deflection of the beam in the area of the receptacle 23.

When the support structure is assembled, the upright column 24 is mounted in the receptacle 23. When the column 24 is mounted in place, the weight of the column exerts a downward force on the beam at the receptacle 23, which, by reason of the snug fit of the side plates 37, between the bearing walls 52, create compression forces along the top plate 46 of the box beam forming the base'22 which, in turn, urge the bearing walls 52 inwardly toward one another to firmly engage the side plates 37 of the column 24. This engagement is made even firmer when the upright column 24 is loaded, by reason of the greater downward deflection of the box beam in the area of the receptacle 23.

In order to accommodate the clamping forces exerted by the bearing plates 52 against the side plates 37 of the upright column 24 at its lower end, the lower end of the column is reinforced. To this end, the web plates 33, which are oflighter gage than theside plates 37, terminate a short distance from the lower end of the column. Below the web plates 33, kick plates 57 span between and are connected to the side plates 3'7. The kick plates 57 are ofa gage corresponding to the gage of the side plates 37 so as to withstand the abuse to which they may be subjected by reason of their proximity to the floor. YFurther, reinforcement in the foot of the column 24 is provided by upper and lowerspacer blocks 54 and 55 which likewise span between the side plates 37. The vertical distance between the upper and lower blocks 54 and 55 is such that the upper block 54 is in registry with the upper plate 46 of the box beam forming the base 22 when the lower block 55 is properly seated on top of the lower plate 47 of the beam within the receptacle 23. In this manner, the upper spacer block 54 accepts the compressive forces applied to the column 24 by reason of the deflection of the base 22 downwardly under load.

By reason of the construction described above, it is apparent that the engagement of the foot of the column 24 into the socket 23 is made firmer as the load on the column increases. Thus, there is little danger of the column disengaging from the receptacle 23 when the structure is loaded. However, during assembly, and when the structure is unloaded, it is desirable to provide means for securing the column against inadvertent displacement from the receptacle 23, particularly since the receptacle 23 isopen on both'sides to afford easy assembly. To this end, the bearing plates 52 are extended above the upper plate 46 of the box beam ,forming'the base 22 and apertures 59 are provided in the upward extensions thereof. Corresponding apertures 61 areprovided in the side plates 37 of the column 24 to perrnitza retainer'28 to pass through the bearing plates 52 and the side-plates 37 tosecure-the lower end of the column 24 within the receptacle 23 against 'nadyertent displacement. In the present instance, theretaiaer 28 comprises an elongated bolt having a head adapted, to engage one of the bearing plates 52 and, a nut adapted to engage the other of the bearing plates. To facilitate passage of the bolt 28, through the column, a guide 67 having a bore therethrough is provided on the upper surface of the spacer blocks'54 so that the bore thereof is in registry with the apertures 59 and 61. The guide 67 also serves to back up the sideplates 37 against excessive tightening pressure applied to the retainer 28. If desired, to further secure the column against inadvertent displacement during assembly and .when unloaded, a centering pin (not shown) may project upwardly from the bottom plate; 47 within the receptacle to engage in a registering detent of aperture in the lower block 55, however, but it has been found that the retainer is sufficient in most instances.

Bracing means is provided to connect the series of main frame members 21 in spaced-apart.parallelalignrnent and to prevent end-to-end movement of theastructure. In the present instance, the bracing means comprises'substantially horizontal spacing beams 69 spanning between -eac-h..pair of adjacent columns 24 and angulated tension membersor sway rods 72, which, in the present case, are mounted-between the two outermost frame members 21 at each end of the structure. As shown in FIG. 9, each spacing beam 69 is of inverted U shaped cross section having inturned flanges along its free edges to form an open box structure. A mounting bracket 73 is provided at each end to attach the spacing beam 69 to the upright columns 24. Each bracket 73, as shown in FIG. 10, comprises a bar welded to the beam and extending foreand aft therefrom to overlie the entire extent of the web plate 33 and engage against the edges of the side plates 37. The bar is formed with a pair of bosses 78 which fit within the apertures 44 in the web plate 33 to position the bar on the column 24. The bosses are drilled to provide bores through which bolts 74 are passed to retain bosses within the apertures. In this manner, the vertical support of the beams 69 is effected by the engagement of the bosses in the apertures rather than directly by the bolts.

The sway rods 72 extend diagonally in pairs between the columns and are anchored at their ends to the brackets 73; As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the rods are attached to the brackets 73 by shackle plates 77 which are mounted by the spacing beam bolts 74. The sway rods 72 are tensioned to provide a rigid structure. The tensioning means in this case comprises a threaded portion 79 at one end of the rod ends and a cooperating nut 75. The nut may be tightened upon the threaded portion to tension the rod between the shackle plates and thereby prevent swaying or collapse of the assembly. If desired, the shackle plates may be eliminated. and the rods 72 attached directly to the uprights by passingthe ends of the rod through the web plate apertures 44'to the opposite side of the upright. By providing suitable bearing surfaces at the opposite ends of the rods, they may be tensioned to rigidify the assembly.

It should be noted that each sway rod of the pair. is individually adjustable. As shown in FIG. 9, by adjusting the fore and aft rods together in pairs, the upright columns 24 and the spacing beams 69 may be adjusted into right-angular relationship to form a rigid strut assembly. By adjusting each rod in the pair individually with respect to the other rod in the pair, a twisting moment may be created in the columns which may remove any twist occurring in the columns during the course of fabrication or shipment. In this manner, the rods provide an inexpensive and easy method aligning the uprights, even when they are twisted or bent, and providing a rigid structural assembly.

The load-supporting arms 32 are mounted on the uprights 24 for ready adjustment by means of the apertures 44 in the web plates 33. The arms comprise a load-supporting member 80 of inverted U-shaped cross section having flanges 81 projecting outwardly therefrom. The arms are mounted on the several uprights at a common height so that elongated loads may be supported directly on the support members 80. When supporting smaller loads which do not span the entire length of the assembly, shelves may be mounted on the support members 80. For example,'the shelves may'be positioned intermediate the support members 80 to rest upon the flanges 81. Preferably, the .thickness of the shelf corresponds to the height of the support member so that a flat support surface is formed by the upper surfaces of the shelves and the upper webs of the support members 80. n

The supporting arms 32 are mounted on the uprights 24 by a shoe 83 secured to the inner end of the support members 80. As best shown in FIG. 5, the shoe is of U-shaped cross section the legs 85 of which terminate in out-tumed reinforcing lips 84. The spacing between the legs 85 corresponds to the width of the side plates 37 so that the shoe may telescopically engage the upright as shown in FIG. 2. The shoe 83, in the present instance, is welded to the support member 80 and a reinforcing plate 86 is welded to the flanges 81 at the underside of the support member adjacent the shoe to reinforce the support member 80 adjacent the shoe. The legs 85 of the shoe 83 are each provided with a pair of angular slots 87 which are inclined upwardly and outwardly toward the support member.

in mounting the arm 32 on the upright 24, a pin 89 passes through each of the slots 87 and through the registering apertures 44 in the web plate 33 of the column. As best shown in FIG. 2, since the apertures 44 are positioned immediately adjacent the flanges 34 of the web plate 33, the pin positioned therein is furnished with a wide supporting surface and bears along its length against the flanges 34. The terminal portions of the pin 89 which project outwardly from the upright 24 through the slotted openings support the shoe, and therefore the arm 32, against displacement. By reason of the inclination of the slotted openings 87, the weight of the arm 32, and any load thereon, will force the arm downwardly so as to urge the base web of the shoe 83 flush against the side plate 37 of the column. This interlocking of the shoe with the column provides a firm and rigid interconnection of the shoe to the side plate 37 while using a simple pin connection. The pin connection affords ready disengagement of the-arm for adjustments without danger of freezing the connection,'as would occur if a bolted connection were used. To release the connection, the arm is knocked upwardly sothat the slotted openings 87 displace the pin 89 away from the flanges 34 to provide sufficient clearance for easy removal of the pins from the apertures 44 and the openings 87, permitting ready adjustment of the arm along the vertical length of the column.

From the foregoing description, -it is apparent that the present invention provides a knockdown storage rack which is possessed of a high degree of structural rigidity and whose rigidity is increased upon loading of the rack.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure, but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims:

lclaim:

l. in a freestanding support structure comprising a plurality of frame members, each frame member comprising an upright and a base supporting said upright, means interconnecting said frame members to dispose the uprights thereof in spaced parallel arrangement, and load-supporting arms mounted on said uprights; the improvement wherein said uprights are mounted in side-by-side relationship and the bases comprise elongated members projecting forwardly and rearwardly from each upright, each upright comprising a column having a pair of spaced parallel upright side plates and web plate means spanning between said side plates to maintain the same in spaced parallel relation, each base having a receptacle interupper plate of said base, and support meansfor said base sup porting said base above the floor in the area of said receptacle,

whereby upon loading of said structure, the load deflects said base downwardly in the area of said receptacle, the downward deflection of the base creating compressive forces in the receptacle and the reinforcing block of the column to rigidly clamp the upright in the receptacle.

2. In a freestanding support structure comprising a plurality of frame members, each frame member comprising an upright and a base supporting said upright, means interconnecting said frame members to dispose the uprights thereof in spaced parallel arrangement, and load-supporting arms mounted on said uprights; the improvement wherein said uprights are mounted in side-by-side relationship and the bases comprise elongated members projecting forwardly and rearwardly from each upright, each base having an upper plate and a lower plate, said upper plate being interrupted intermediate the ends of the base to cooperate with said lower plate to form an opensided receptacle for receiving the lower end of its associatedupright, said upper plate intersecting said upright substantially normal thereto and said lower plate extending substantially parallel to said upper plate, each upright comprising a column having a pair of spaced parallel side plates and web plate means spanning between said side plates to maintain the same in spaced parallel relation, said web plate means including kick plate means at the lower end of the upright and being of heavier gauge than said web plate means above the lower end and outside of said receptacle, and support means for said base supporting said base above the floor in the area of said whereby upon loading of said structure, the load deflects said base downwardly in the area of said receptacle, the downward deflection of said base creating compressive forces in said upper plate against the upright engaged therein to rigidly clamp said upright in said receptacle.

3. In a freestanding support structure comprising a plurality of frame members, each frame member comprising an upright and a base supporting said upright, means interconnecting said frame members to dispose the uprights thereof in spaced parallel arrangement, and load-supporting arms mounted on said uprights; the improvement wherein said upright comprises a hollow rectangular column having a pair of spaced parallel upright side plates and a pair of upright web plates spanning between the free edges of said side plates, the side plates being imperforate along the lengths thereof to constitute primary load-carrying members resistant to lateral bending, and the web plates having a series of apertures along their lengths adjacent each side plate for adjustably mounting said support arms thereon, said interconnecting means comprising a plurality of horizontal beams spanning between said frame members and diagonal tension members spanning obliquely between said frame members in crossed relationship, said tension members being arranged in parallel pairs and being connected to said uprights through said apertures and including means to tension said members individually to impart a twisting moment to the columns.

4. In a freestanding support structure comprising a plurality of frame members, each frame member comprising an upright and a base supporting said upright, means interconnecting said frame members to dispose the uprights thereof in spaced parallel arrangement, and load-supporting arms mounted on said uprights; the improvement'wherein said upright comprises a hollow rectangular column having a pair of spaced parallel upright side plates and a pair of upright web plates spanning between the free edges of said side plates, the side plates being imperforate along the lengths thereof to constitute primary load-carrying members resistant to lateral bending, and the web plates having a series of apertures along their lengths adjanent each side plate for adjustably mounting said support arms thereon, said support arms comprising a support member projecting outwardly from said column and a shoe of generally U-shaped cross section adapted to telescopically engage over a side plate of said column and having slotted openings inclined upwardly and outwardly toward said support member and adapted to register with the apertures of said web plates, and cylindrical pin means engaging through the slotted openings in said shoe and rotatable in said apertures in the web plates so that said slotted openings urge said pin means outwardly toward said side plates upon displacement of said arm to adjustably secure said arm to said column, said web plates having flanges projecting inwardly along and against the inside surface of said side plates, said web plate apertures being positioned immediately adjacent said flanges so that said pins bear flush against said flanges throughout the lengths thereof.

5. A support structure according to claim 1 including opposed upstanding bearing walls spanning between said upper and lower plates within said interruption wherein said bearing walls extend above said upper plates, and including means "defining registering apertures in said upper extension of said bearing walls and the side plates of said upright respectively, and bolt means passing through said registering apertures to secure said upright to said base against inadvertent displacement.

6. A support structure according to claim 5 including a bolt guide spanning between said side plates and having a bore in registry with the apertures in said bearing walls and side plates both to guide the bolt through the respective apertures and to back up said side plates against tightening pressure of said bolt means.

7. A support structure according to claim 2 wherein said receptacle is defined by a pair of separate opposed upstanding bearing walls spanning between said upper and lower plates within said interruption, said bearing walls snugly embracing opposite sides of the bottom of said upright whereby upon downward deflection of said base, the com'pression forces in said upper plate urge the bearing walls'inwardly toward one another to firmly engage the upright. I u

8. A support structure accordingjt o'clai'm 7 wherein said means to support the base comprises support legs at the opposite ends of said base on the underside of "said lower plate to thereby elevate the central portion ofs'aid base above floor level.

9. A support structure according to claim 7 wherein said base is in the form of a box beam having a pair of spaced parallel wall plates coextensive with said upper plate to space said upper plate a substantial distance above said lower plate.

10. A support structure according to claim 3 wherein said means connecting said frame members comprises at least one horizontal spacing beam having a bracket at each end secured to said upright through said apertures, said bracket comprising a bar adapted to overlie the entire extent ofthe web plate and engage against the edges of the side plates and having bosses projecting outwardly therefrom to fit within the apertures in said web plates, said bosses having a bore," and bolt means passing through said bores to retain said bosses within said apertures.

3.550J85 Dated Patent No.

Edward A. Seiz Inventor(s) --receptac1e--.

SiGN'i-li) m0 SEALED 816m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION December 29, 1970 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 70, "freestan" should be --freestanding--; a

Column 6, line 35, after "said" (second occurrance) insert 

